An earring for pierced ears typically includes a decorative element, a post and an ear nut. The decorative member is mounted on the post and the post is adapted to extend through an opening pierced in a location on the ear such as the earlobe. The ear nut fastens to the post behind the earlobe to retain the post on the earlobe. Although earrings of this type are very common, their use creates a number of problems. For example, piercing of the ear is uncomfortable and the process required to prevent closing of the pierced opening is also somewhat time consuming and uncomfortable. More significantly, the pierced opening is subject to infection. Moreover, the wearer can suffer a painful injury if the earring catches on some other object and is pulled.
Another common form of earring is a clip on earring. Earrings of this type typically include a spring biased clamp which grips the earlobe. However, the clamp may be uncomfortable to wear, and if the clamping force is too low, the earring may fall off and be lost.
One attempt to solve the problems with pierced ear earrings has been to use a clip on type attachment to the earlobe and to mount an ear nut on the clip on member for receiving the post of the pierced ear earring. However, the resulting construction is subject to all of the disadvantages of clip on earrings including discomfort and the risk of loss of the earring.